The Art of Destruction: Creative Alchemy for Anger Transmutation
As many of you who have read my books, worked 1:1 with me, or been a member of my Feral Self-Care Membership program know, I love finding new and novel ways to make shadow work and healing work playful, creative and FUN!
I truly think that depth work and personal growth stuff doesn’t need to include crying into a journal or feeling bad about yourself for hours on end. It can be embodied, a form of sacred self-expression, and dare I say- FUN!
In one of my recent blog posts and YouTube videos, I showed you a glimpse into my own therapeutic art journal, and in this post I wanted to give you some instructions on how to do one of these practices for yourself. The following is what I call an “Art of Destruction” activity, and it is one of the guided sessions we did in the Feral Self-Care Collective Summer 2025 season.
Join the Fall 2025 season of the Feral Self-Care Collective and Get 12 Weeks of guided growth work and spiritual self-care sessions and practices HERE!
A Mini “Art of destruction” activity for Shadow Integration
When you’ve been carrying rage, grief, or fear, sometimes the most healing thing you can do is to make space for those feelings, connect with them fully, then intentionally engage in a act of destruction with them and use what is left to create something new.
This helps us to visually and somatically carry out the act of intentionally destroying something we DON’T want in order to create something new and intentional. It sends a subconscious message that WE have the power to take the shit life gives us and transform it into brand new works of transformative art (just like our lives!)
Destruction and creation are two sides of the same cycle. In mythology, this is Kali dancing on the ruins, Pele erupting to make new land, the Phoenix immolating so it can rise again! In psychology, it’s the death of outdated neural pathways and the birth of new stories!
When you engage destruction as ritual, you’re reclaiming your primal birthright to be the creator and destroyer of your own reality.
Here’s a simple “Art of Destruction” practice you can try today to experience the power of therapeutic art for yourself.
A transmuting anger “art of destruction” practice
Time needed: Approx 15 minutes-30 mins
Connect with your anger or shadowy rage and try and find where it lies in your body. Write out a list in this format: “I am angry because…”. Put down anything that comes to you without judging or censoring!
Feel into the anger in your body and allow it to be expressed through stomping, breathing, growling, etc. Take your paper and rip it into pieces while exhaling or making sounds to release its hold.
On a blank piece of paper, draw out 2 body maps on either side of your paper. On one side, draw or paint out where the tension and energy was felt in the body. Take your ripped up scraps of paper and glue them around this image.
On the other body image, draw out where the energy and tension is felt in your body after connecting with and expressing your anger. Around this image, write out statements thanking your anger for what it is trying to teach or tell you!
This process uses destruction and creation to embody shadow work through art.
An “Art of Destruction” activity from our rage ritual in the Summer season of the Feral Self-Care Collective
If you love the sound of creative healing, imagine what it feels like to explore twelve weeks of guided, creative shadow work rituals inside a supportive community!
Every season of the Feral Self-Care Collective includes:
Live weekly sessions combining therapeutic art, depth psychology, and spiritual self-connection hosted by myself and a variety of guest speakers (6 per season!)
Playful, unique, transformative practices you can’t find anywhere else.
A safe container for your messiest, wildest self to come out and play!
Join the feral Self-Care Collective for creative psychospiritual sessions and actionable, consistent practices that fit YOUR life!
Or download our FREE “Meeting the Shadow” Guide to help you identify, form relationship with, and integrate your shadow!
Stick around! I share guides, psychospiritual tools, and rebellious takes on inner work here, on YouTube and on Substack- and if you want to go deeper, check out the Feral Self Care Collective!
